


Truth is Treason

by Bibliosmia13



Series: Empire [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Brief Confinement, Gen, Mind Control, Minor Injuries, Not Everyone Gets a Happy Ending, Some of the sides have powers, powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25659292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bibliosmia13/pseuds/Bibliosmia13
Summary: Patton, Roman and Logan have spent the past few years closed off from the world to protect themselves from those who would have them killed.Virgil, Janus and Remus believe themselves to be the last line of defense the world has from the supernatural.How will Virgil take to being trapped with the very beings he and his team have dedicated their lives to destroying?
Series: Empire [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1975870
Comments: 61
Kudos: 120





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So, this is my first work on Ao3. I’m always happy to take constructive criticism, but please don’t be too cruel. I hope you like it!

Darkness.

That was the first thing that sent Virgil into a panic, the second being that his hands were tied together and the third that he had no idea how he had gotten into his current situation in the first place. He tried to think back, but the aforementioned panic had taken hold of his mind, making it hard to focus on anything aside from the fact that he suddenly could breathe.

As the wall next to him slid away to reveal a person Virgil could only barely make out, he felt the oxygen around him seem to diminish further.

"Hey, hey! I need you to breathe for me, kiddo. Can you do that? Try to follow me, okay?" 

The newcomer exaggerated his breathing, trying to bring Virgil's near hyperventilating breath back down to a more acceptable speed. Once Virgil had complied, the stranger reached for Virgil's bound arms slowly, like one would approach an injured animal.

"I'm gonna untie the rope, okay? I promise I'll be gentle."

Virgil gave a small nod, and suppressed the urge to pull away as the man in front of him began working out the knot in the rope restraining his wrists. Virgil let out a small sigh of relief as the bonds were pulled away from his hoodie-clad wrists; though when Virgil looked up, he instantly regretted letting this man anywhere near him.

The man was smiling at him, showing off his pearly whites, but, more importantly, his fangs.

Virgil scrambled back until his back hit a wall, which, unfortunately, wasn't as far back as he had hoped. The smile on the man's face dropped and he was careful to conceal his fangs, as if he actually cared that they caused Virgil distress.

Which he couldn't, Virgil admonished himself. This was a vampire, the very thing he was raised to destroy. A creature whose only care for humans was that they weren't killed before they could make a good meal.

The loud slam of the door hitting the wall shot Virgil's attention from his thoughts to the furious looking man in red storming over from the doorway.

"What were you thinking!"

The vampire in front of him responded before Virgil could fully comprehend the question. "He was scared, Roman. You and Logan were busy and he sounded like he was going to hyperventilate! I wasn't going to leave him trapped in your closet all alone."

Closet? As Virgil looked around, he realized that he was in fact in the closet of a very cluttered bedroom. A king-sized bed draped in red and gold pillows and blankets lay against the wall opposite him with a dark, wooden desk next to it. All across the walls and desk resided pictures and playbills and a surprising amount of Disney posters. On the floor were piles of clothing, several weapons including a very medieval looking sword, and...was that Virgil's satchel?

Virgil heard a noise of indignation from the man called Roman, before suddenly the gap between them was almost nothing and Roman was grabbing for Virgil's arm. He tried to pull away, forgetting that his back was already pressed to the wall and only succeeded in knocking his head hard against the solid wood.

In his dazed state, Roman was able to pull him from his spot in the corner of the closet and, to Virgil's utter embarrassment, pick him up bridal style and carry him out of the room. Once Virgil regained his bearings, he struggled against the strong arms that rendered him nearly immobile, but quickly halted his protests when Roman growled through his own set of fangs and he realized just how close the vampire's mouth was to his neck.

Virgil soon found himself deposited roughly on a couch and quickly sandwiched between the armrest and Roman. He hissed as a jolt of pain came a tightly bandaged part of his lower leg.

"Whoops," Roman muttered. He looked as though preparing himself for speech, but before he could, two more entered the room. 

The first was the man who had untied him, carrying a plate of deliciously smelling cookies. He had a mop of curly, sand-colored hair and shining blue eyes shielded by a pair of round, golden glasses. His round cheeks and button nose had a spattering of freckles across them; overall, he looked rather like a child. The second was a man Virgil hadn't seen yet, with straight, jet-black hair and darker blue eyes, also aided by glasses, though he recalled the name Logan being mentioned and assumed them to be one in the same. 

At least, he hoped they were. Three vampires was already three too many. His suspicions were confirmed shortly as the man introduced himself in an entirely too formal manner. Who even said salutations?

"And I'm Patton! Do you want a cookie? They're fresh out of the oven.

He was being offered food. By vampires. The cookies did smell really, really good and made Virgil hyperaware of the fact that, according to the clock it was almost 7 p.m. and that meant that he hadn't eaten for almost eleven hours. However, a torrent of negative thoughts and worries about what they could have possible done to the cookies made him look away from Patton's gentle smile and pale blue eyes and duck into his hoodie, making him miss the hurt look that crossed the man's face for a mere instant.

"Well! I suppose it is my turn. My name is Roman. Do you have a name J. Delightful?"

"J. Delightful? Seriously?" Virgil muttered to himself, still hidden in his hoodie.

"I must agree, Roman, if this is in fact in reference to that set of songs you have been subjecting us to."

"Aww, come on, Specs! Heathers is great! As is every other musical I grace your ears with."

"No."

Roman gasped in mock offense. "Logan, you will apologize right now, or I will...I'll...you'll regret it!"

"Very creative," Logan hit back with, before asking Patton something about whether he had used sarcasm correctly and receiving a smile that Patton tried to hide from Roman.

"Patton!" he screeched, making Virgil jump. "You! I...out, Logan! Out of my sight!"

Logan gave a sigh before conceding and leaving the room. Patton sent a disappointed look in Virgil's direction before leaving, though Virgil wondered if it truly had been aimed at him, or if its recipient was the man, no, vampire next to him. Virgil chided himself for seeing them as human. They weren't. They may bicker and tease like humans, but they were monsters.

"I knew I could get them to leave!" Roman said proudly.

Oh no. The vampire wanted Virgil all alone. All alone, probably so he could eat him without objection from the others. Probably-

"Yoo-hoo! Don't ignore me, Charlie Frown. Ah, there we go. So, we are going to establish some rules as long as you are in my house. If you follow them, we'll be good. If not...I don't care what Pat and Lo say. It's been a really, really long time since I had human blood. Got it?"

Virgil hesitantly nodded.

"Good! Rule one: You do not make Patton sad. I don't care if you think the cookies are poisoned. If anyone is going to hurt you, I promise it won't be him. I don't think he'd hurt a mosquito, much less a human he has vouched for. So, when he comes back, you will eat a cookie and thank him."

Roman stopped, obviously hinting that Virgil should agree. Virgil, however, remained silent. What could these vampires gain from forcing him to be nice to Patton? Would he end up asking Virgil to do things for him that Virgil couldn't disagree to without breaking this "rule"? What exactly would he be agreeing to if he said he understood?

"Right then. I take your silence as agreement. Anyway, rule two: You will not harm either Patton or Logan. Preferably me either, but if you're going to attempt to hurt one of us, it had better be me. Rule three: You will not leave this house without express permission. Finally, you will not tell the other two about any of this. Does that make sense?"

It wasn't as if Virgil had much choice in giving his agreement. But, as not to anger his captor, he gave a nod of understanding. Roman gave him a sickening grin, displaying his sharp, white fangs and clapped his shoulder, making Virgil scoot even further into the armrest.

"Then I think we'll get along splendidly, um..."

Roman frowned when Virgil made no indication of supplying his name, but didn't demand further. They sat in silence until the sound of footsteps on the stairs announced the reappearance of Patton and Logan.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the positive feedback so far! I'm glad you guys like it!

"Alright, kiddos. Let's play nice, okay?"

Both Roman and Logan begrudgingly shook hands at Pattons instruction, though no one missed how Logan chose the seat farthest from Roman instead of his previous one. Virgil was forced to endure another awkward silence until Roman discretely dug his elbow into Virgil's side. He remembered Roman's first demand, and at that point, Virgil had already accepted the fact he would probably die. Why not with some food in his stomach?

"Um, uh... P-Patton, right?" At the man's happy nod, Virgil continued shakily. "You, uh, I mean...c-can, er, m-may I still h-have a cookie?"

Patton's face lit up as he nodded his head vigorously once again. "Of course! I hope you like them!"

Virgil reached an unsteady hand out to the plate on the table and closed his fingers around a cookie resting at the edge of the plate. He bit into it slowly, hazel eyes darting between the three vampires in the room, before registering just how good it was. It wasn't too soft, but it didn't crumble at the first touch. It was buttery and thick and there was the perfect amount of melting pools of chocolate chip. Compared to the microwaveable meals and fast food that had sustained him for at least the past couple months, it was heaven. Virgil found himself wondering if all of Patton's food tasted this good, before quickly crushing that thought.

"You like it?"

Virgil hadn't realized a soft smile had slipped out onto his lips.

"Uh, y-yeah. Thanks," Virgil muttered, trying to suppress the blush of embarrassment taking hold of his cheeks.

"You can have some more if you want. Ro doesn't really eat all that much human food and Lo thinks sugar is pointless," Patton said with a pout.

After determining that there were no ill effects as of yet, Virgil took two more, telling himself that if he didn't, Roman would kill him. It didn't hurt that they really were very good.

"So, Lo and I were talking downstairs, and we figured that you were probably pretty tired. So, maybe we should talk about everything that's happened tomorrow, because you're not going to heal if you don't sleep and eat well. Now, I know it might be a little unnerving sleeping here, but I'm happy to let you sleep in my room, and you can lock up the door if that makes you feel any better. In the morning, we can show you around, get some breakfast in you, and figure out our next plan. How does that sound?"

"O-okay." Virgil didn't feel like bringing up his horrible sleeping patterns and the fact that nine o'clock was much earlier than he usually even thought about sleep.

Good! Now, before we get you downstairs, do you need anything?"

Food more filling than a few chocolate chip cookies? Water? To get out of the situation entirely?

"No, thank you."

Roman didn't glare at him, so he figured his answer must have been adequate.

"Okay then, kiddo! Now, earlier you didn't really seem to like Roman picking you up, and I'm sorry we didn't give you more warning, but we didn't want you getting hurt. You've got what looked like claw marks down your leg, and we didn't know if you got hurt anywhere else. You don't seem to be, but I guess I should probably ask." Patton said, embarrassedly rubbing his neck.

"I'm not."

Well, that's good! Um...whoops! I kind of got off track, there. Where we we?"

"I think you were about to ask if he would be alright with me carrying him to your room?"

"Right! If you're not okay with that, it's perfectly alright, but I don't want you to get hurt anymore. So? What do you think?"

Virgil frowned. If he was being honest, the effort these vampires were putting into making him at ease was unsettling, seeing as he was going to be a meal sooner or later. 

"I can walk."

Suddenly, Roman's hand was in front of Virgil's face. He hesitantly took it and was pulled to his feet, only to stumble into the man's broad chest.

"Sure about that, Surly Temple?"

Virgil pushed Roman away and stalked towards the staircase, ignoring the pain that shot through his leg at the movement. He made it all the way down the stairs before realizing that he had no idea were he was supposed to be going.

"What exactly was your plan once you got down here?" Virgil could hear the smirk in Roman's voice without having to turn around. "Back to ignoring me, I see. Well, this way."

Roman led Virgil through a room with two couches and a half-open cabinet of games, and into a bedroom. It was smaller than the other bedroom he had seen and was now certain was Roman's. However, it wasn't small enough to be uncomfortable. 

Fairy lights lined the ceiling and pictures of Patton with combinations of Logan, Roman, and several others Virgil didn't recognize took up almost half of the space on the light grey walls. A fuzzy, light blue beanbag sat in one corner. Under a white shelf embedded into the wall housing more picture frames sat a twin bed made up with a sky blue comforter and various fluffy blankets. And the pillows! Half of the bed was taken up by pillows and stuffed animals, mostly cats.

"There's not even room for him on that bed!" Roman scoffed, moving past Virgil and proceeding to push most of the animals and pillows onto the thick, soft-looking carpet. "Now take your shoes off and lay down."

"Patton said I could lock the door." Virgil muttered, fully aware that the vampire could hear him.

"Yeah? Well, I didn't. I trust you just about as much as you trust me. Now take off your shoes and lay down."

Virgil complied, though he didn't drop his glare the whole time. Then, with inhuman speed, Roman pinned him to the bed and began muttering words from some language Virgil didn't understand. He tried to fight back, to pry the hands from his still-sore wrists, but his limbs grew heavy and before he could do anything else to stop it, Virgil slipped into unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

Virgil awoke to a pair of eyes staring at him. He scrambled away, landing hard on the floor. After a few calming breaths, the events of the previous night came flooding back to him. A rush of embarrassment stained Virgil's cheeks as he also realized what the face must have been. 

Sure enough, when he pulled himself into a sitting position, he found a pillow imprinted with the face of a cat staring back at him.

Virgil rose to his feet, contemplating his next move. The first thing he took in was the lack of windows. In fact, to Virgil's knowledge, there hadn't been any windows on the way to Patton's room, and the likelihood of finding an easily accessible one without alerting his captors was very low. 

So? He would have to brave the stairs.

With one last glance around the room, Virgil decided that he very much would have liked to be stuck in Roman's room instead because then he would have access to weapons and his things. He made his way silently to the door, and winced at the soft click the handle made under his hand, before realizing how odd it was that the vampires had carried through with the promise of letting him sleep in a locked room, especially since he didn't have the chance lock the door himself.

Virgil crept back to the base of the stairs. He could hear voices from above; they were most likely from the kitchen or the room Virgil had been in last night. 

It wasn't the worst placement. Virgil knew that he would have been able to make it up the stairs and down the hall he knew led to the front door easily if it were a human's house. Vampires, however, would be a little more tricky to evade.

He winced as the first step creaked under his weight.

The voices above paused, but they resumed after only moment, either oblivious or uncaring to Virgil's escape attempt. Virgil crept further up the staircase, more slowly this time, and purposely staying as close to the wall as he could. And then he was on the landing.

Virgil inhaled slowly. He couldn't lose his cool now, even though he felt a wave of fear threaten to overwhelm him. 

A step. 

It's okay. They haven't broken their conversation yet. They haven't heard.

Another step.

Soon Virgil would have the cover of another wall. He was almost there.

Another-

"Hey! You're awake!"

Patton. The door was still too far away; he would never make it before the vampires caught up with him. Virgil turned sheepishly to face the table that all three vampires sat at. The friendliest gestured to the fourth chair at the small, round table. Virgil decided to focus only on Patton's close-lipped smile instead of the glares he was receiving from the other two as he sat next to Patton.

From across the table, Logan studied Virgil with that calculating gaze he had mastered. He only broke it to shoot a questioning glare at Roman. After receiving a shrug from his companion, Logan finally broke the uncomfortable silence that had enveloped the room.

"Do you always awake at this hour?"

The clock in the sitting room read 2:09 a.m. 

Oh.

"I suppose it is no issue if you do, only, Roman's spell should have relaxed you enough to sleep properly. To my understanding, most humans sleep more than five hours a night. I have read that eight hours is the desired amount."

Virgil's only reaction was a quirk of his eyebrow. He hadn't gotten a full eight hours of sleep in years. Heck, even five was much better than usual.

"Kiddo?"

"Quit calling me that," Virgil muttered under his breath. 

Curse these vampires and their elevated sense of hearing. Virgil could feel Roman's eyes boring into his back as Patton quickly apologized.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just kind of...actually, I pretty much call everyone that. But, if it makes you uncomfortable, I'm happy to stop. Is there anything you want me to call you instead?"

"Yes, it would be advantageous to learn your name."

"Uh..." Roman kicked Virgil's shin, as if to say he owed them something for hurting Patton's feelings. "I'm, uh, my name is...mynameisVirgil." Virgil winced. 

No one knew his real name, save two. Yet here he was, giving it out to relative strangers.

"Your name is...Virgil?" Roman smirked.

"Yeah..."

"Aww, I love it!" Patton chimed in.

"Right, well, if we could return to the previous inquiry. Virgil, what are your customary sleeping patterns?" 

Logan pulled a notebook and pen from his lap, poised to take notes. The action unnerved Virgil more than anything else they had done so far, though finding out that Roman had cast magic on him was a close second. Maybe that was the reason he was still alive; they intended to study him.

"Virgil?"

Virgil felt himself begin to shake. Was this how the creatures that were caught by the Empire and taken to scientists felt? Logan certainly looked the part. It would start out with simple questions, but Virgil had heard the stories of more horrid methods of gaining information. While Virgil had never approved of torture, no matter the species, one of his partners had an unhealthy obsession with such exhibits of pain.

Patton reached his arms out to hug Virgil, but stopped as soon as he noticed Virgil's flinch.

"Take it easy, Virge. I understand that you may be a little uncomfortable, but-"

"Oh yeah? You don't know anything, Princey," Virgil bit back.

The three at the table froze.

"Princey?" Roman repeated, dumbfounded.

He hadn't meant to let that slip out. Where had that come from? Perhaps he had channeled some of the confidence he had seen his partner, the Duke, exhibit every time he so much as uttered a word. But? Was it really better to just lie down and accept his fate? Maybe he should rebel. Heck, anger could blind people; why should Virgil not try to use that to his advantage. Stir things a bit. Rile them up. He could at least get under Roman's skin, as he was the most volatile to begin with. So, when Virgil's fight or flight response kicked in, he chose the more dangerous option.

"You heard me, Princey."

"Princey?" Roman tried again.

Seriously? He was hung up on the nickname?

"What? Are you the only one who gets to give out nicknames? And anyway, I thought it fit. Always the center of attention, does what he wants without considering the consequences of his actions? Definitely reminds me of someone."

Roman was speechless.

After a long moment of silence, and wary observation from both Logan and Patton, Roman's expression began to morph from shock to...

Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. Had he gone too far? Probably. He always messed up. The confidence from moments ago faded and left Virgil as a worrying mess. It wasn't that bad, right? Two responses. How much could possibly go wrong in two responses? So much, Virgil's brain assured him. He was done for. He was going to...was that laughing?

Virgil looked up to find Roman...laughing. Laughing? Not only was the dolt laughing, he was laughing so hard he began to cry tears of mirth. Soon, Patton had begun giggling as well. Even Logan's ever-stoic expression had been knocked off-kilter as the corners of his mouth turned upwards.

"S-S-sorry! I just...whew!" Roman started laughing again.

Virgil just glared at the table of buffoons.

"I believe what Roman is trying to convey is that we have been rather on edge recently. And, you, well..." For the first time since Virgil had met him, albeit not that long ago, Logan stumbled for the right words.

"What Logan's saying, kiddo, is that...you were really scared. And then we were scared that we'd done something too wrong to fix and I figured that you just needed a little bit of time, but...we've all just been running on high stress lately and seeing you joke and heck, even just talk to us is really, really, really nice. We weren't laughing at you or anything, though I do like the nickname. Its high time Ro got a taste of his own medicine. But, I think we're all just pretty relieved that you don't hate us. Because we really, really, really, really, really-"

"Pat!"

"-really don't want you to hate us," Patton finished with a grin. 

"Oh." Because what are you really supposed to say to that? 

Patton seemed genuinely happy, Roman was still grinning, and...Logan was speechless? Maybe...maybe they didn't want to murder him? 

Yet...

Virgil's mind still rebelled against the idea that the creatures he had been taught to hate, fear, and kill might not be as much of a threat as he had originally thought. It also reminded him that he did, in fact, kill the supernatural, and that they were bound to find that out sooner or later.


	4. Chapter 4

Logan quickly filled the first sheet of the pad of paper in front of him without even looking at the man providing him his information. After the first almost twenty questions, Virgil was no longer afraid; he had long since moved on to annoyed. He had learned that Logan had had the least interaction with humans before, so he was eager to learn everything he could about them.

"Thank you, Virgil. Now, I am rather curious as to how you wound up injured in the first place. The wounds on your leg seem to be from some sort of claw, yet you were not in the vicinity of the forest, and there were no signs of a wild animal in the alleyway."

"In the alleyway?"

"Yes, my Dark and Stormy Knight. You were in an alley when we discovered you. Do you not remember? "

"I-I don't, I'm sorry."

"There is nothing to apologize for. However, I do worry that you are unable to recall the events of two nights ago. I suppose that a possible side effect of a dramatic event is memory loss. What is the last thing you remember?"

"Um..." 

What was the last thing he remembered? There was a bar, and he was there with Re-the Duke and Deceit. They were tailing something, and had been for the last week. A werewolf? That would explain the claw marks on his leg. Okay, so they had been tailing a werewolf, had lead or followed it to an alley and...he must have been attacked. So, nothing he could conceivably tell the vampires waiting for his answer except for...

"I think I was at a bar?"

Patton frowned, but before he could speak, Logan interceded.

"Yes, a definite possibility. You were several blocks from one. But, you don't recall how you received your injury? I suppose if you were inebriated, your memory and alertness would have been affected.

"Yeah..."

No. He didn't drink, so that meant something else had happened. He barely had an outline of the night, which meant anything could have happened after he and his partners cornered that werewolf in the alley. His partners!

"Was there anyone else there?"

Stupid question, Virgil reprimanded in his mind. Vampires wouldn't have abducted him if he hadn't been alone. And even if they would, the Duke and Deceit would have been smart enough to hide. They would have been outnumbered by people they knew absolutely nothing about.

"Sorry, ki...Virgil. You were alone. That's why we wanted to help. We watched for a little bit, but no one came and we didn't want you to bleed out. Why? Were you with somebody?"

"Uh, yeah. I think so."

"Oh, no! They're probably worried!

"Yes. Do you have a name or address we could attempt to contact. None of us own a telephone, and you didn't seem to have one with you, but perhaps we could send a letter."

"Yeah, I think they would think a letter is more suspicious than me disappearing entirely."

"Oh, apologies."

"Well, we can't really go out into town in the middle of the day or we'll seem suspicious, but we can drop you off tonight, so they won't have to worry too much longer!"

Wait, had Virgil heard correctly?

"You're...letting me go?"

"Once we ascertain that you will not bring harm upon us or lead those who would to us, there is no further need to keep you here. Did you believe otherwise?"

"I just, well, Roman..." 

Roman's chilling glare reminded Virgil of the last of the stipulations: You will not tell the other two about any of this.

The implications finally showed themselves to Virgil. Patton and Logan didn't know about the rules. Patton and Logan didn't know that Roman had forbade him from leaving. 

"Roman?"

Roman's gaze flickered to Logan.

"Yes?"

Logan arched an eyebrow at the man.

"I um, well, okay fine! I told him he couldn't leave. But I was worried for both his safety and ours. He was hurt and in an unknown place, and even you told him that he couldn't leave until we had assured he wouldn't reveal us!"

"Did you explain that to him?"

"Well..."

"Kiddo!"

"Sorry, Padre."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

"I am deeply sorry for worrying you."

Virgil nodded, but he could tell from the look Roman was sending his way that it meant nothing. The rules were still in place.

"I'm sorry about that Virgil. We wouldn't keep you here any longer than we feel is necessary for you to heal up, okay? Now, I bet you're pretty tired of answering questions, but I do have one more. Did Roman tell you anything else we should know about?"

Patton said it almost jokingly, but he must have noticed the sudden apprehension in Virgil's expression. 

"Virgil?"

Virgil stuttered out a denial, but it did little to deter the fatherly figure. 

"Hey, it's okay," Patton reassured while glaring at Roman before turning to his left to properly face Virgil. He sat his hand on Virgil's in an attempt to comfort him, but quickly pulled back, fear etched across his face.

"Pat? Hey, Padre, you alright?"

"I..." Patton gave a shudder before replacing his signature smile. "Of course, Roman."

Virgil didn't miss the uneasy glance he received from Patton. He certainly didn't miss Roman's anger.

"What did you do?" he practically growled.

"I-it was, it was an accident! P-please don't hurt me."

Virgil pulled his legs up onto his chair, hugging them closer to his body. Patton seemed to revert back to his caring, paternal side. He moved to reach out toward the trembling man, but thought better of it.

"Hey, hey, it's okay Virgil. No one is going to hurt you here. I thought we were past this, huh?" Patton said with a nervous laugh.

"Patton." Logan's stern stare silenced the poor man who looked near tears. "Virgil. I need you to tell me what else Roman told you. Are his previous words what has sent you into a panic?"

"Lo-"

"Silence, Roman. Virgil? You may begin anytime you are ready. Please try to adhere to Roman's exact words as closely as you can."

After several ragged breaths, Virgil began.

"H-he, he said th-that...I'm sorry," Virgil managed to choke out before he began to hyperventilate.

"Virgil, there is no need to apologize. Please, take your time."

And, after almost two minutes of worried glances and withering glares being sent back and forth, Virgil began again.

"Th-there were f-four rules. Th-the first one was th-that I-I couldn't h-hurt P-Patton's f-feelings.

"Roman!"

"I'm sorry, Patton." Roman at least had the decency to look sheepish.

Logan prompted Virgil to continue.

"Uh, r-rule t-two was th-that uh, I'm not s-supposed to h-hurt you or P-Patton, and p-preferably not Roman e-either."

"Oh! You didn't hurt me. You just, scared me? I, I don't really know what happened. I was just surprised, though."

"W-well...I-I'm still s-sorry. I...uh, anyway. The th-third one was th-that I couldn't leave and th-the fourth was that I wasn't supposed to t-tell you and Patton about the rules."

"I see. What did Roman tell you would occur if you did not adhere to these 'rules'?"

"H-He said that...well, I guess he didn't directly say what would happen if I broke one, b-but he did say that i-it had been a long time since he'd h-had human b-blood.

"Roman! You don't get to threaten people like that!"

"Patton, if you could hold off your reprimanding for a moment longer, I would appreciate that greatly," Logan said pinching the bridge of his nose, before directing his attention back to the man curling into himself across the table. "Virgil, while I would not be opposed to you following these 'rules', I assure you that none of us will harm you unless it is in self defense. Next order of business. I have several theories that explain what happened to Patton, but first, I would like to offer you the opportunity to tell us anything you deem important."

Several theories. Logan had several theories about him. But...he couldn't possible know who he was, could he? Virgil remained silent, clenching his fists in an attempt to hold back the energy he had kept bottled up since he had arrived.

"Very well. I realize that I do not have any solid proof, but I am going to ask you another question. I want you to disregard any outcomes you think your answer may have and just answer honestly. Now, are you Anxiety?"

Well, maybe he could know.

"Anxiety?" Roman screeched. "You mean the hunter? The powered hunter that...Logan, are you saying that the Anxiety is it our house?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't think to mention that earlier?" Roman said as he edged his seat away until he was practically touching Logan.

"It's okay, kiddo. It's okay. It's okay. We're going to be okay. He's...he hasn't done anything bad to us..." Patton tried to reassure, but the usually calming undertone in his voice was all but gone, instead replaced with desperation.

"Yet! We're all going to die. I don't want to die Lo, Pat! I'm too pretty to die!"

Well that had escalated quickly. Virgil could feel his fingernails digging into his palm, but it was too late.

"Enough!" Logan let out a shaky sigh. "Virgil, please forgive me..."

The words barely processed in Virgil's mind before it went blank.


	5. Chapter 5

"-rgil. Virgil? Can you hear me?"

Virgil nodded, taking in the new situation. His arms were tied to the arms of a wooden chair. He was also aware of a gag prohibiting speech and a blindfold stealing his sight. He should be worried about that, right?

"Virgil, although I am nearly certain after what happened, I would like to have confirmation from you. Please nod your head if you are, in fact, the hunter known as Anxiety."

Virgil nodded again. 

"Alright. I have several question about your...abilities. Firstly, I would like to know how you are able to affect people with them. Is it through eye contact?

Virgil hesitated. Yes, if he focused hard enough, he could invoke paralyzing fear in his enemies through eye contact. But how was he supposed to tell this man that he didn't see him as an enemy with the gag still in his mouth?

"I will take that to mean that it is a possibility, but not the most common method?"

A nod.

"Good, then I shall remove your blindfold. Can your powers be passed through word of mouth?"

Virgil attempted to shake his head, but the hands now working out the knot in the fabric around his eyes made it difficult. Soon both the blindfold and gag had been removed and Virgil was staring into Logan's luminescent blue eyes.

"Virgil, I offer you my apologies for restraining you, but Roman deemed it the safest method to continue. However, I do have several more questions that I would like you to answer while I release your arms. Can you tell me how your powers work?"

"I can send fear to a person through skin-to-skin contact. I can usually suppress it as long as I am focused, but if I am scared or overwhelmed, I can't always control it. If I get really scared, sometimes my fear will affect those around me without any contact or my meaning to."

"So that is why Patton and Roman became more panicked than expected after I made my guess as to who you were?"

"Yes. I was terrified that you knew. I don't want to hurt any of you, but I didn't think that you would believe me if I told you."

Logan finished removing the last of the ropes and Virgil pulled his knees to his chest, laying his hands around them. 

"I appreciate that, Virgil. I do hope you understand that none of us intend for you to come to harm, even after recent developments. However, if we caused you so much panic, I have to wonder why you refrained from using your powers against us sooner. I have heard that the effects wear off without any lasting consequences. Is that true?"

"Yeah. I mean some people are a little more susceptible and will be a bit more on edge for a while, but that's not the reason I didn't use my abilities. When...like I said before, I have less control when I'm already terrified. I probably would have sent myself into another panic attack trying to control everything and not actually hurt anybody or myself b-because when I use my abilities when I'm not f-focused enough, it doesn't...it uh, it c-can come b-back to me and especially if J-Ja- I-I mean...I m-mean...I-I c-can't! "

Virgil pulled himself, trembling, into a tighter ball and Logan let out a gasp, clutching his head.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry. I-I...d-did I...?"

"Shh, shh. It's okay. Logan's alright. Can you focus on me? Try to breathe for me."

Virgil peeked out from behind his bangs and the forming tears in his eyes at the man crouching in front of him. He listened to Patton's even counting and attempted to breathe along with the numbers until he no longer felt like he was going to pass out from lack of oxygen. 

"Virgil, I want you to try something, okay? It's called a grounding exercise. Can you tell me five things you can see?

"Um....t-the ch-chair, m-my j-jeans, my h-hands, um...y-you, a-and the, uh, the couch."

"Good job! Now, what are four things you can touch?"

"T-touch? I-I can, uh...my h-hoodie? M-my hoodie, the chair, m-my tears," Virgil paused to wipe his hand under his eyes. He gasped as Patton's hand found his unoccupied one. Patton went to pull back, but Virgil squeezed gently. "You," he finished.

"There you go! Okay, how about three things you can hear?"

"The clock, Roman, a-and Logan."

"Two things you can smell."

"Vanilla and...chocolate chip pancakes?"

"I thought you might be hungry. One thing you can taste?"

"Your cookies."

"Are you feeling better ki-Virgil?"

"Patton, if you want, you can call me kiddo. I actually think it's really sweet. Before, I thought it was kind of patronizing, but now-"Virgil clapped a hand to his mouth. "I didn't mean to say that."

"I have no doubt of that. I don't believe a person has ever been able to break from my hypnosis without my releasing them. It makes since that the effects haven't cleared yet."

"Your...hypnosis?" Virgil shuddered.

"Yes. It is an ability I have mastered over the years. I am able to relax any living being and persuade them to do things that perhaps they wouldn't normally do. I am best at inducing honesty."

"So, what? Now I can't lie?"

It hadn't seemed like such a problem when his normal suspiciousness hadn't been at the forefront of his mind, but now they could learn anything about him. Virgil didn't think they, well at least Logan or Patton, would abuse his current situation, but even if it was an accident...things could quickly go sour.

"That seems to be the case. That, and the normal self control you possess when it comes to speaking seems to be relaxed. It should fade soon."

"How soon?"

"As I said, Virgil, I have never had this happen before. I cannot give you an accurate answer. If it puts you at ease, I will refrain from asking questions until the effects have worn off."

"Please."

"Very well. Patton, I believe you made pancakes? You must be hungry, Virgil. Let us return to the table."

The three sat at the table silently as Patton stacked four plates with chocolate chip pancakes and brought them, four forks, syrup, and butter to the small table.

"Padre..."

"Just eat it please. I promise they're good!"

Roman quickly gave into Patton's puppy dog eyes, but Logan was a harder sell.

"Patton, I have no need to eat this."

"You have no need to eat that jelly you're obsessed with either Teach, but you still eat tons of that!"

"Crofter's is a suitable exception, but I would not claim that I eat 'tons' of it. That is absurd. I can assure you that I have eaten less than 1,939 jars of Crofter's seeing as Patton only introduced it to me less than two years ago."

Virgil just watched in amusement, silently wondering what that number meant and how Logan had reached it so fast.

"That's not-it's a figure of...ugh! You are impossible, Microsoft Nerd."

"I don't understand."

"Of course you don't."

"Now, now, kiddos. Don't start fighting! If Lo doesn't want to eat, I'm not going to make him."

"But you'll make me?" Roman quickly backpedaled when he saw Patton's crestfallen expression, assuring him that his pancakes were delicious. 

The four of them settled into a semi-comfortable silence until Patton began gathering the empty dishes and excused himself to clean up the kitchen and Logan went to fetch something from his room.

The remaining moved once again to the living room. 

"So, Doctor Gloom and Doom, did the magic truth serum wear off yet?"

"I don't know, how about you ask me a question you know that answer to?"

"Ah, yes. Hmm, what do you think of my nicknames?"

Virgil just glared.

"Aww, are you scared you'll admit that you secretly love them?"

"You don't know that for a fact."

"Ugh, fine! What is my name?"

Virgil thought for a moment before answering with a smirk.

"Logan."

Roman gasped in mock offense, hands pressed to his heart in his usual dramatic manner.

"How dare you. Take it back!"

Virgil ducked to conceal the small grin gracing his lips. This was nice. Virgil still didn't trust Roman, and was still terrified at the fact that they were alone, but he hadn't been able to banter with someone in a while. Deceit was too serious, much to work-oriented to just have fun. The Duke had been away, assigned to a different mission the past six months. The werewolf had been the first job they were all back together for.

"No, in all honesty, I guess I'm glad you're back to normal. And...I guess I should probably apologize to you about threatening you and all that."

"You wanted to protect your friends, Princey. I get it. I'd probably do the same thing."

"But you didn't, Virge. You could have scared us off, you... you know how to handle a weapon. Even if it was just for intimidation, you could have...my point is, I shouldn't have resorted to fear tactics when you were obviously already terrified out of your mind. It was a low blow, and I want to apologize. It wasn't very princely of me, huh?"

Virgil groaned.

"No, joking aside, I really am sorry and I'm glad you are alright."

"Thanks, Roman."

"And, hey, next time I should probably follow the rules I make myself. I really upset Patton. He lectured me for probably twenty minutes after Logan knocked you out."

"I wouldn't have upset or hurt any of you. Not purposely anyway, even if you hadn't made me agree not too. You know that right?"

"Even though that's your job?"

Virgil looked down. He should have known this was coming.

"Sorry."

"Wait, what? Why are you sorry? I should be the one apologizing for not telling you who I was."

"No need. I understand your position and I-"

"Nuh-uh, Princey. I said the same thing and you still just had to apologize. So, I'm sorry."

"You know, I quite enjoy your company. If our situation was just a bit different, I believe we could be the best of friends."

Well that wasn't what Virgil was expecting, Was it really going to be that easy?

"Ehh, or we would be fighting constantly."

"Ha! Yes, also a possibility. Ah, I have the perfect test. What do you think of Disney?"

"Actually, I-"

Virgil was cut off by a crash in the kitchen.


	6. Chapter 6

Roman and Virgil rushed towards the kitchen to find Patton being held against a man who was pushing a silver knife to his throat. Patton whimpered, only resulting in the knife pushing harder against his flesh. 

Virgil grabbed at Roman's arm, keeping him behind the wall and out of sight. Now, he just had to get Patton out of harm's way...Virgil was shocked at the sudden surge of loyalty he felt for Roman, Patton, and Logan. Not only were they vampires, but they were also relative strangers. But, it somehow felt right. More right than anything he could remember doing in a long time.

"Deceit."

No one was really sure when Logan had arrived, but he easily stole the attention of everyone in the room.

"Keene. How unpredictable."

"You are not welcome here, Deceit."

"Way to be a buzzkill, Logic," a new man teased. He absently blew his rather blandly colored brown hair from his eyes as he studied the silver mace in his hands. "And come on, you know I just love showing up where I'm not invited!"

Logic. Where had Virgil heard that name before? Roman obviously knew it, as he tensed in Virgil's bruising grip.

"Duke, Deceit, you will leave this house at once," Logan instructed coldly, though anyone who knew the man well enough could see the restrained fire in his eyes.

"Oh, of course, Logic. Whatever you say, Logic."

"That is not my name," Logan ground out. "Now, is there a reason you have broken into my home?"

"Oh yes, we are the bad guys. You're so innocent. Just days ago you stole something of ours, Keene."

Roman tensed further, only barely suppressing a growl. 

"What's wrong, Roman, was it? You know, you can't keep him this time."

Roman broke out of a very confused Virgil's grip and stormed around the corner at Deceit, but was intercepted by a swinging mace.

"Ah, ah, ah. That's close enough. You know, from all I've heard, I would have figured you would have been the first one out here to save your pwecious wittle Patton. Unless...Anxie, come on out!"

Virgil stayed frozen behind the wall.

"Anxiety, you're safe now. The Duke and I are here to help you. It's time to go home."

To the Empire. The organization wasn't as homey as here, but that didn't matter. He had lived there for as long as he could remember. And, his partners! He couldn't leave them. They were the ones who had found him and taken him in when he had nothing. They saved his life, teaching him the ways of the world and earning him a spot among the Empire's highest ranks. So, why did it feel so wrong to let the Duke and Deceit take his new acquaintances into custody. 

"Anxiety, it's time to go. I don't know what lies they have filled your head with, but fight past it. We are all you have."

Right. They were all he had, he knew that. So what was he doing? Virgil had no reason to doubt them. He made his way around the room to stand by Deceit, ignoring the protests that met his ears from the three vampires.

"Took you long enough Rem, Dee."

"Yes, well, we are here now. And we're going home."

Deceit motioned to the Duke, and before anyone could react, he was swinging his mace at the back of Roman's head, knocking him out cold. Patton whimpered, though soon he was unconscious on the floor as well.

"Your turn, Logic. Are you going to come willingly, or can I hit you too?" 

Remus Duke was practically bouncing as he stalked closer to his final target, though his excitement weaned when Logan resignedly held out his arms. 

"Aww, you're no fun," he pouted as he wound rope from his belt tightly around the arms that had been presented to him. "Dee, you promised me action! Gore! This was boring," the Duke complained, earning a chuckle from Deceit.

"We're not done yet, Remus. I promise."

Soon, the two limp bodies, a bound and gagged Logan, and a maniacally grinning Remus sat in the partitioned back of a black van, and Deceit led Virgil to the passenger seat. 

"Virgil, I am sorry we couldn't come sooner. This should never have happened."

Deceit slid into the drivers seat and started the engine. Silence filled the front of the van as they pulled away from the nice little grey house at the edge of the forest. Virgil fiddled with the strap of his satchel. He had retrieved it from Roman's room, as well as the dagger that pressed comfortingly against his hip.

"Virgil, please talk to me. Are you alright?"

No. No he wasn't alright. He had so many questions...but then again, he had the time if he correctly remembered their general location. And if Janus would cooperate. Virgil knew that Deceit had never been a fan of Virgil's seemingly endless questions, so he had taught himself to keep them in his head instead of expressing them aloud. But, now seemed as a good of time as any to break his self-imposed suppression of curiosity.

"What happened, Dee? Where were you? Why...why don't I remember what happened, what was it, two nights ago? Why did-"

"Virgil!"

Janus studied the road for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"I know you have many questions, but it has been a trying past couple of days..."

"You think? I was abducted by vampires!"

"Virgil, I can answer some of your questions now, but most will have to wait until we are home. Do you understand?"

"How many do I get?"

"How much are you willing to share of the past two days?"

Janus had always been secretive; for as long as Virgil had known him, Janus was suspicious of everyone, even Remus and him. So, Virgil had come up with a game of sorts. For each answer one of them received, they were obligated to share information of their own. While Janus was still vague at the best of times, it had encouraged him to open up a little to Virgil since he also benefitted from the information trade. It also ensured that he knew just as much about Virgil, and eventually Remus, as they did him, so he had less fear of the information he gave away being used against him. 

The rules were simple. The information that was exchanged had to be of the same caliber. If one person asked a specific question, the other could as well. Facts were not allowed to be reused, as that would cheat one party out of information, unless it became of new importance or it expanded on a previous fact. Finally, no lying. Due to a spell Remus had found, it was physically impossible for any of them to utter a falsehood during their "game", from "start" to "stop".

"Okay, start. What happened two nights ago?"

"That's quite vague, Virgil."

"What happened from when we caught up with the werewolf in the alley until the vampires found me?"

"Well, it seems that you didn't miss all that much. Like you said, we caught up with the werewolf in an alley about three blocks from the bar we tailed him to. A fight ensued. You were injured, but told us to leave, so we took the werewolf with us to properly secure. When Remus and I returned, you were gone. Why were you keeping Roman out of our sight?"

"I..."

"It's perfectly understandable if they got to you, Virgil. The Empire has been keeping its eye on those three for a while now. So let me change my question, what did they tell you to make you trust them?

"They were just...I don't really know. I can't pinpoint anything in specific, they just...made me feel safe..." 

"I see. I think we've said enough for a while. Let's stop." Janus said sharply, directing his attention fully back to the road stretching out in from of them.

Virgil looked down, ashamed. After everything Janus and Remus had done for him, he still couldn't be grateful for what he had.

"I'm sorry, Janus..."


	7. Chapter 7

Deceit and Virgil walked side by side down an empty, rather bland off-white hallway.

"Virgil, I'm sorry that I was so cold with you the car. I was tired, and when you said that they made you feel safe, the irrational side of my brain took over. I want you to be comfortable here Virgil. I was worried that I hadn't done enough for you."

"Of course you have. You've done more than enough. And I do feel comfortable here, Dee."

Did he?

"I am very glad to hear that, Virgil. Now, you know how I am about answering questions, but I believe I know someone who may be able to help you."

Deceit stopped in front of an ordinary door. It was opened to reveal a room with a one-way mirror. In the adjacent room, Logan sat, staring at his side of the mirror as if he could see right through it, though Virgil knew that was impossible. Metal cuffs encircled the man's wrists, making him unable to move from the metal table he was sat at.

"Virgil, if you wish to speak to him, to ask him questions, I need you to be careful. More careful than you would be with your average vampire. He has powers, like you and I. He can manipulate your mind with but a few words. Under any other circumstances, I wouldn't be letting you do this, but you deserve the truth. However, I cannot guarantee that he will tell you it. Lying is second nature to him."

"Then why can't you just tell me? I won't push you, Dee."

"I believe that you will be a good judge of the facts. And anyway, you deserve another version of the story. If you only hear my side, you will never be able to make educated decisions for yourself. So, would you like to speak with him?"

What if it was a test? What if Virgil said yes and Janus took that to mean that he trusted Logan more? But...Janus wouldn't do something like that about something this important, right? His apology did seem genuine...

"I'll just listen to his story; it doesn't mean that I'll believe him."

Janus gave Virgil a smile.

"Go ahead."

He left the room, only to freeze in front of the next door. Breathe in. Breathe out. You can do this.

Virgil inched across the interrogation room, wary eyes on the man handcuffed to the table. He gingerly sat on the edge of the chair opposite Logan. The two sat in silence, Logan waiting patiently and Virgil sorting through all the guilt and questions and events that had come from the past two days.

"I know you have questions for me, Virgil. I don't intend to keep anything from you."

Virgil winced at the voice. He realized then that he really didn't want to be there. Yes, he was beyond curious, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to understand because...

"They called you Logic."

"Yes."

"But...why? They, he...you? Logic was..."

Virgil gestured wildly. To the room? The Empire? Virgil wasn't really sure because, at the moment, nothing made sense. And Virgil was getting awfully tired of that happening.

"Yes, I was Logic. As for why, I was foolish. The Empire approached me almost thirteen years ago, promising incredible knowledge.

"But! You're a vampire! The Empire...they-"

"Virgil, may I continue?"

Virgil gave a sigh. "Yeah."

"I am a vampire, but not all of us are the same. Much as humans differ in class, vampires have a hierarchy as well. Many of the vampires that exist today have been turned, but there are some purebloods left. Purebloods have never been turned; they were born a vampire. I am of the second category. I was raised being taught that I was superior to those who had been turned. As I'm sure you well know, it is difficult to change an opinion that has already been instilled into you. I had no issue participating in the acts the Empire required of me. That is, until I met Roman."

"He was my target. He overpowered me, but refused to end me. When I returned to the Empire, Janus...I mean-"

"Deceit, I know."

Logan looked taken aback.

"He...he told you his name? Ah, well. Perhaps..." Logan trailed off, lost in his own mind.

"Logan?"

"Where was I? Ah, yes I returned and when Janus had discovered that I had failed, he threatened my position, and therefore my life. That was when I realized that I had been used. I terminated my connection with the Empire after a little over two years of partnership with them and I disappeared for a while. Somehow, Roman found me, and after I explained my situation, he insisted that I take up residence with him. That was twelve years ago."

Virgil didn't know what to believe. The story made sense, sort of, but he couldn't believe that Janus would do something like that to someone he worked with, that he considered a partner. But, Logan was a vampire...

Now Virgil just needed to catch one of them in a lie.

"What about Patton?"

"Patton? He was turned just over two years ago. When we found him, he was scared and alone, and Roman insisted he return with us. He was so happy when we found you, because he could finally cook for someone again..."

Logan trailed off with a faint smile on his face, a smile that didn't look like it could be faked, especially by someone like Logan, before his eyes hardened once again.

"Logan? What's wrong."

"I need you to listen very carefully, Virgil. Janus is more powerful than you believe. He has this whole place under his influence. The way he can rewrite the mind is...absolutely terrifying. So I need you to leave, Virgil."

"Leave? I can't just...what are you talking about?"

"He is dangerous, Virgil."

"Dangerous? He can do what you can! The whole 'hypnosis' thing..."

That, and he said the same thing about you.

"He is much more powerful that me, Virgil. He...tell me, do you remember anything before you joined the Empire? Give me something specific."

Virgil gave an uneasy chuckle. Of course he did. There was his...parents? He knew he must have had them, but as Virgil grasped for details, they just seemed to float further away. The same happened with his house, his friends, his...everything. But, that would mean that Logan was telling the truth.

"Why can't I remember? Why can't...I, I can't-"

"Virgil, I need you to stay focused on me. We are running out of time. I cannot give you an exact reason as to why Janus has blocked your past from you, but I know that he sees something in you that he believes he cannot let fall to anyone else. That means that you need to leave, and once you do, you must stay alert, for he will look for you."

But Janus was the one who had rescued him from nothing.

"No, I...what about you? And Patton and Roman?"

"You cannot help us."

"But..."

"I have lived my life and made my choices, Virgil. As for Patton and Roman, I will do everything in my power to protect them, but if you escape, you will be able to do more good than you ever could for the three of us. I know that you do not agree with the methods that the Empire had been founded around."

"Logan-"

"Virgil, I thought you would see reason. You should care more for your free will than you do for three near strangers. And I promise you, if you stay, Janus will take it from you."

No, he wouldn't. He...couldn't, right? Janus was practically family, unlike the vampire he had just met. But, Virgil once again had the feeling that this was wrong. That maybe Logan was right. He seemed to know a lot more than Virgil, at any rate.

"I-"

"They are coming. I do hope you make the right decision."

Guards with noise-dampening headphones filled the room, surrounding Logan and ushering Virgil away and into the waiting arms of a man dressed in a yellow and black three-piece suit and bowler hat.

"Dee?"

"I'm here, Virgil. I'm here. I'm sorry you had to hear all that. I thought that he would be more willing to change, to see that lies would do nothing for him, but I see I was wrong. You are safe now, Virgil. I will protect you. He won't be feeding you any more lies."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...this one is basically just Virgil's thoughts about the whole situation. Sorry for the lack of plot building in this chapter!

Virgil sat alone on his bed as headphones blasted music into his ears, but no matter how loud he cranked the volume, he couldn't get Logan's words from his head. He had already pulled the Nightmare Before Christmas posters from his walls so he wouldn't have to be reminded of Roman and how he hadn't gotten the chance to answer his question about Disney.

Janus is more powerful than you believe.

Virgil had always known that Janus was incredibly powerful, more powerful than any creature they had gone up against. But, he preferred to do things without his abilities, only stepping in with them when absolutely necessary.

He has this whole place under his influence.

Janus wouldn't do that. He always said that hated having to use his powers on humans. Unless that wasn't the way Logan had meant it. Janus did have an integral position in the Empire, and someday, he would probably be in charge.

The way he can rewrite the mind is...absolutely terrifying.

Was that not what Logan had done earlier that day? He had forced the truth from Virgil and took away his self-control. And, rewriting a mind? That was such a negative way to put it. It wasn't like the control even lasted that long!

I need you to leave, Virgil.

Logan couldn't demand that from him. The Empire was all he had ever know. All he could remember knowing, anyway...

Do you remember anything before you joined the Empire?

He still couldn't do it. He couldn't remember if his mother's hair was blonde or brown or red or black. He couldn't remember the name of his first pet, or if he had even had one. Did he have any siblings? What about aunts? Uncles? Had his parents really even died? What if someone was looking for him?

He sees something in you that he believes he cannot let fall to anyone else.

What was that supposed to mean? Sure, he had a rare ability, but he couldn't even do that much with it. He could paralyze people for a relatively short amount of time, and he couldn't even guarantee how long it would last. He could put people on edge, which wasn't all that helpful as he could barely control it due to the lack of training he'd had because of Janus' protectiveness. But, he wasn't even as powerful as Remus, and training couldn't possibly do much to change that for him. Certainly not as much as Logan seemed to believe.

That means that you need to leave, and once you do, you must stay alert, for he will look for you.

Of course, Janus would look for him. Janus was practically family! He wouldn't let Virgil wander alone in the world, right?

You cannot help us.

No, he probably couldn't, not without getting in big trouble. However, it would be less risky than leaving...

I have lived my life and made my choices, Virgil.

How was he so resigned to death? He had so much more to live for than Virgil. Logan had a plan for the future, people who would do anything for him, and a purpose that he was confident in.

As for Patton and Roman, I will do everything in my power to protect them.

Virgil's heart sank in his chest. It wouldn't be enough. Logan wouldn't be able to do much of anything to help the only people he had left.

If you escape, you will be able to do more good than you ever could for the three of us.

How? What could he possibly do? Virgil was at a loss.

I know that you do not agree with the methods that the Empire had been founded around.

Logan was certainly right about that. Was it possible that Logan was also a mindreader, or was he just drawing on his own past experiences and what he knew of Virgil? He seemed to be good at coming to accurate conclusions like that.

You should care more for your free will than you do for three near strangers.

So why didn't he? Maybe it was because he had been doing the same thing for the past almost nine years. Maybe it was because those three strangers had been kinder to him than most anyone he had met.

They are coming. I do hope you make the right decision.

Logan had sounded so confident, even when Virgil had no confidence in himself. What if he made a big mistake? What if Logan, Patton, and Roman hated him for the rest of their lives, however long they may be?

It didn't matter. They were never meant to be friends in the first place. It didn't matter what they thought of him or his actions. It didn't matter.

It didn't matter.

Now, if only Virgil could get himself to believe the mantra he had started repeating in his head.

Virgil pulled the headphones from his ears and fetched a drawstring bag from his small closet. He filled it with several oversized items of clothing, a few granola bars, three water bottles, a few first aid supplies, and the extra money he had saved over the years. He pressed the bills between the pages of a book on astronomy, along with a handwritten letter. Then, Virgil checked the time.

11:13. Good. Only a few guards would be patrolling the hallways at this hour, and most in the residence wing would be in bed.

Virgil slipped out of his door. He edged down the now-dark corridors silently, head swiveling to take in any possibilities of danger. There were only so many excuses one could give as to why they were leaving the sleeping quarters past 10:30, the usual curfew for safety reasons, and Virgil was pretty sure he had used up the last of his chances when he had snuck up to the roof a month ago.

Contrary to some of the guards' beliefs, Virgil had always been rather good at going unnoticed. He was rather proud of only being caught somewhere he wasn't supposed to be twenty-three times in the past eleven years, when in reality, he had been out a total of sixty-one times.

And yes, he had counted.

So, maybe that was why it was of little surprise to Virgil when he managed to get to the enclosed stairwell without being seen by guard or camera. He let out a sigh of relief. He was safe until he left the protection of the stairwell three floors down. However, he didn't let his guard down as he made his way down the cement stairs.

Soon, he came to the bottom of the set of steps and pushed at the heavy door, careful to ease it closed after he slipped through so that it wouldn't echo in the empty hallway. He dashed to the place the walkway intersected with another before ducking into a small alcove to await the change of the guards.

Virgil held his breath as footsteps made their way past him in the dimmed light. Once the guard turned the next corner in the maze-like basement floor of the Empire, Virgil darted from his spot, speed-walking down the hall until he came to a door. The door.

Virgil felt the handle twist easily under his fingers.

Okay, Virgil. This is your choice. Now it's time to live with it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last real chapter! The next chapter is a little epilogue. I hope y'all enjoyed the story! It's made me so happy to read all the comments and see people like writing!!

"Virgil?"

Patton. He was okay. His hands were pulled behind him and handcuffed to a pole that was embedded in the floor, but he was uninjured, which was more than Virgil could have hoped for. With his back to Patton, and in much the same situation, Roman sat crosslegged on the floor.

Across the room, however, Logan was leaned against the cold cement wall looking much worse than he had when Virgil had seen him last. He now sported a bruise around his left eye and cracks spiderwebbed through the same side of his glasses. Logan looked paler than even a vampire should and his only acknowledgment to Virgil's entrance was an involuntary flinch as the door clicked shut.

A shuffling from the other side of the room stole Virgil's attention from Logan. Roman had managed to get to his knees, and he was warily studying the newest addition to the room.

"Well, Anxiety, what are your intentions?"

 _Right._ He was Anxiety, and he was now on his home turf. Of course they wouldn't be expecting a rescue attempt. Logan didn't seem to be in a position to be able to explain anything, so for all Roman and Patton knew, Virgil could have been the one to hurt him.

"I want to help. I owe you anyway, so I'm getting you out of here. All of you."

Roman and Patton shared a look.

"Okay." Roman trusted him. Virgil immediately felt better, more sure of himself. "Get me out first so I can work on Logan's bonds. Are we going to have to pick some locks?"

"Sorry. I didn't know what I would find in here, much less which keys I should attempt to lift." Virgil said as he knelt with a broken bobby pin and several bent paper clips in hand beside the pole.

"No, it's perfectly alright. I'm just glad you're here. Logan told us you wouldn't be coming. We were worried that you..." Roman winced, "But you're here now, so thank you just for that."

"I'm glad I can help."

When the handcuffs clicked open, Virgil gasped.

"Your wrists!"

Roman's wrists were raw and colored an angry red.

"Yeah, the cuffs were pure silver. It doesn't matter, though. We have more important things to worry about. Do you have any spare tools?"

Soon, Virgil was helping Patton to his feet and Roman had an unconscious Logan in his arms.

"What now, kiddo?"

Virgil explained how they would get to the stairwell and out the back door unnoticed.

"There's an alarm on the door, so once we get there, you have to run as fast as you can and don't look back. I'll try to stall for you."

Patton frowned, hesitating in his movement towards Roman and Logan.

"But what about you? Aren't you coming with us, kiddo?"

Virgil looked away. _He couldn't._ He had thought through every possible situation, one thing he _was_ good at. If he went, he would only put them in danger. But, they were wasting time, and Patton would only try to change his mind.

"We'll see. Right now, we need to go."

Virgil winced at the skeptical glances he was met with, but he did his best to ignore them as he listened for sounds in the hall. When convinced they would be safe to leave the room, Virgil set out, glad to hear that two sets of footsteps followed without protest. Cautiously, slowly, they made it to the stairwell and up to the landing on the main floor safely.

"Kiddo," Patton whispered, "Please come with us. I don't want you to get hurt. We'll...we'll look after you, or not. Whatever you want. I just want you to be safe, and it's not safe here. Please, Virgil-" Patton choked on a sob. "Please..."

Roman shifted the limp body in his arms so that he could grab Patton's hand reassuringly.

"He's right, Virgil."

Virgil noted Roman's use of his name. Not Anxiety, not J. Delightful or Surly Temple or Dark and Stormy Knight, and not even Virge. But it didn't matter.

It didn't matter.

It didn't matter if Roman was sincere. It didn't matter if they wanted him to be safe. If he went with them, _they_ wouldn't be safe. Since he had opened that door, Roman and Patton had looked _so scared_ , and Virgil couldn't make that last any longer. And Logan! Logan had gotten away from the Empire. If he went with them, Logan would always have to fear that freedom being taken away. So, Virgil could endure life here. Sure, he would be punished, but it was too late to avoid that anyway. But, they wouldn't hurt and kill him, like they would to Roman, Patton, and Logan.

"I'm not leaving, and that's that. Now go before someone realizes you three are missing."

"Virg-"

Virgil shoved his bag into Patton's hands and nudged the vampires through the now-open door, trying to ignore the flashing red light and the pounding of faint footsteps echoing, sure to be there any minute. The escapees took off towards the tree-line.

"Stop. Come here."

The command was even, cool, collected, yet smooth and sweet, like honey running through Virgil's ears. And it was familiar. Why was it so familiar? Virgil shook his head, dislodging the fog that had filled it, though the scene in front of him didn't make any sense. Why were Patton, Roman, and Logan here? They were supposed to have left. Virgil took in the golden hue of their eyes. Why-

Janus.

Virgil had seen that phenomena before; an effect of Janus's powers was that those under his influence had a golden tinge to their eyes, as well as his own turning the same color. Sure enough, Janus stepped through the door, joining the other four on the landing.

He was outside? Had he been waiting for them? Had Janus figured out what Virgil intended to do even before he had?

Virgil cursed his muddled thoughts and the blanks in time because if he could just clear his head and _focus_ , Virgil knew everything would make sense, and he would be able to get the others to safety. But that was harder than it seemed.

**Virgil, you know this is wrong.**

It probably was. What had he been thinking? This act of rebellion had gone against everything he had ever known.

**You should just forget about all of this. It would be easier for everyone.**

Yeah, easier. For the Empire, for his partners, for him, for...not for Patton and Roman and Logan. And, Virgil realized, he didn't want to forget.

**Yes, you do.**

"No! Get out of my head, Deceit!"

Deceit stumbled to the ground and the glow faded from his eyes, as well as from the eyes of the others. But, he recovered quickly. Virgil hissed as Deceit lunged out, reaching out for Patton's left leg.

"Stay away from them!" Virgil growled, and a fine black mist started to seep from the ground at his feet.

It gripped Deceit, pulling him back and out of arm's reach from Patton, something that Virgil had desperately wanted to do himself, but hadn't been able to find it in him to move.

"You need to go. Now!" Virgil shouted over the pounding of feet on the stairs above

Again, the mist seemed to adhere to Virgil's thoughts as it turned the handle to the door and swung it wide open. He willed for them to go, and to go faster, but if the mist was able to help bring that request to fruition, Virgil didn't know. He hissed and kicked out, but the guards didn't relinquish their hold, wrestling him away from freedom and down the stairs.

But, it didn't matter. Logan, Patton, and Roman had escaped. They were going to be safe, and that was all Virgil needed to know.


	10. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure you read the previous chapter first. I published both this and the last one together.  
> Well...I guess this is the official end of Truth is Treason. Sorry it's shorter than the rest! I have a couple of ideas to continue with this world, but it may be a little bit before I get to writing it. Would that be something that y'all would read? Anyway, thanks to everyone who made it this far!

"Padre, we can't go back home, at least not right now. That would be the first place they would look."

Patton stared worriedly at the towering trees surrounding them.

"Then where do we go, Roman? Lolo's in no state to be roughing it in the woods. We don't have any money, we-"

"Incorrect," Logan shifted, letting out a hiss of pain.

"Careful, kiddo! Wait, what's that?"

"Yeah, nerd, where did you get the book?"

Logan gestured to the bag they had gotten from Virgil.

"He has given us clothing, water-"

"Medical supplies! Specs, you must let me attend to your wounds."

Logan begrudgingly agreed, under the assurance that it wouldn't hinder his explanation.

"Where did I leave off? Ah, yes. Virgil has also given us this book, inside of which I discovered a collection of currency, and this," Logan said, pulling folded paper from the pages. He gingerly unfolded the pages and rubbed out the creases, before laying them in sight of the others.

They read:

_Dear Logan, Patton, and Roman,_

_If you're reading this, I assume you got away. I hope I was enough help. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you a couple things. By the time you read this, I may have already told you some of this, but please just bear with me._

_First, I am obviously not coming with you, or even leaving like you told me to Logan. You said that I would be able to do more good if I escaped, but I don't know how. And, if I even could convince myself to leave, you said Deceit would come after me. You said yourself, he's really strong. Definitely more powerful than me._

_Now that I think about it, you're right about pretty much everything. But not this. I am a danger to anyone I'm near as long as Deceit wants me for whatever reason. So I'll get you three out, but after that, I can't guarantee anything._

_I realize that this is mostly a letter to Logan now that I'm reading it back, so give me one more paragraph and that'll be over. Logan, I just want to say thank you for telling me the truth. I see now that I haven't gotten a whole lot of that lately. I admire what you did, and I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to do what you wanted me to. I'm sorry for not trusting you and bringing you back into this whole mess. I hope I at least gave some good answers to all those questions you asked me in the past two? three? days. It'll probably be past midnight by the time this is all over. Anyways, keep learning and all that. And good luck with Roman and Patton's lessons on modern stuff!_

_Patton. Gosh, where to start. You are quite possibly the sweetest person I've ever met and I wish I'd known you for longer than two days. You always tried to make me comfortable. Your cookies were probably, no, definitely the best thing I've eaten in a long time, and honestly? You cared. Again, it was only two days, but it seemed like you actually cared about me in a way that not even my own partners did, and that was really nice. I'm so sorry that I hurt you and got you caught up in all of this. I really hope that you stay safe. Also, I know Logan and Roman don't really eat your food, but I hope you get the chance to cook or bake as much as you want because you should always try to do what makes you happy._

_Roman, I don't really know what to say to you. We didn't really get along, and honestly, I was kind of afraid of you, but it might have just been the fact that I was really uneasy about the whole situation from the start. But, I do have to say, I admire your loyalty. I think it's really cool how strongly you want to protect your friends. I'm sorry about what I said about you being the center of attention and not considering the consequences of your actions. But, you're still Princey in my book, because you're also strong and confident and creative. Speaking of creativity and all that, I guess the nicknames are pretty okay._

_Okay, the changing of guards is happening soon, so I should probably wrap this up. Wow, this is probably the most I've written in, well, a long time. But, I guess wanted to explain myself and tell you all how much you mean to me even though we didn't even meet all that long ago. Anyway, thanks for everything. Good luck!_

_Virgil_

_P.S. We probably wouldn't be best friends, Princey, but I do like Disney._


End file.
